Few would probably call a paper company a friend of the environment.

But Inland Empire Paper Company has set a worthy ecological example, according to the Twin Lakes Improvement Association, which honored the company for spending $2.5 million on projects to benefit the Fish Creek watershed.

"They're good neighbors," said Don Ellis, TLIA member and past president.

The environmental association honored the company, which is a member of the group, for outstanding stewardship of its forests at a meeting earlier this month.

IEP, which owns 15,000 acres in its Fish Creek unit, has over the past 25 years overhauled culvert and road infrastructure in the area, according to the TLIA.

The costly projects have helped prevent nutrients from entering Twin Lakes and the main tributary Fish Creek, Ellis said.

"When we say they spent that much, it's good for them, too," he said. "It's easier on their contractors that harvest their logs."

The company's efforts followed a late '80s environmental study that pinpointed the IEP lands as contributing phosphorous and sediment to the watershed, Ellis noted.

That issue has vastly improved, he said.

"I can't say that it's been 100 percent corrected, but it's dang close to it," said Ellis, who also worked for IEP years ago.

Paul Buckland, IEP forest resource manager, said a healthy watershed is essential for maintaining the forest the company relies on for product.

"They are inextricably linked," Buckland said. "From our viewpoint, it's not just the health of the trees, but also the water and the wildlife, and the people that live in the area."

The company, based in Millwood, Wash., has pursued the watershed projects as part of general maintenance, he added.

When IEP purchased much of its land in the area in the '50s, he said, the company found most of the roads and culverts in poor condition and posing environmental threats.

"They were not build to modern standards that allow fish passage and minimize soil erosion," Buckland said. "When we identify these legacy roads, we first of all abandon them, and that usually entails building a new modern road to modern standards that is away from the creek. When and if we need to cross a stream, we engineer culverts of the correct size and gradient to allow for fish passage."

The company continues to cooperate with the TLIA in projects like stream restoration, he added.

"If we're going to be long-term stewards of the land, we need to take care of the environment in which we work," Buckland said.

Tom Herron, regional water quality manager for the Department of Environmental Quality, praised IEP's involvement in an ongoing project to restrict nutrients flowing into Twin Lakes.

"It's been one of the most important projects for this watershed," Herron said, adding that the focus is on Upper Twin Lake. "It's a shallow lake that would potentially be at risk for nutrients, and that's what we're trying to cut back on."

There are more than a few hundred property owners around Twin Lakes, Ellis said.

Ellis, who has owned property in the watershed since 1981, said he is grateful for property owners who participate in keeping it at its best.

"I just love that lake," he said. "I want to watch out for it."